Recovery from left ventricular dysfunction after ablation of frequent premature ventricular complexes
Introduction
Frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) can cause a reversible form of cardiomyopathy.1, 2 The time course and the determinants of recovery of left ventricular (LV) function are not known. The purpose of this study was to describe the time course and predictors of recovery from LV dysfunction after an effective ablation of PVCs in patients with PVC-induced cardiomyopathy.
Section snippets
Patient characteristics
In a consecutive series of 264 patients (121 men; age 48±14 years) with frequent idiopathic PVCs, LV dysfunction was present in 87 patients. PVC-induced cardiomyopathy was defined as an ejection fraction of<50% that normalized after ablation or an ejection fraction of 50%–55% with an improvement of≥10% after PVC ablation. All patients underwent an assessment for the presence of structural heart disease with echocardiography, stress testing, and/or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Recovery of LV function
A total of 75 patients with PVC-induced cardiomyopathy had an effective ablation procedure. The PVC burden was reduced from 26%±11% to 2%±4% (P<.0001). LV function changed from 39%±10% to 59%±4% (P<.0001) in patients who had PVC-induced cardiomyopathy and had an effective ablation procedure. The ejection fraction improved or normalized in all patients with PVC-induced cardiomyopathy. Twenty-four of 75 (32%) patients had delayed recovery of LV function. In the remaining patients, LV function
Main findings
In the majority of patients with PVC-induced cardiomyopathy, the ejection fraction normalized within 4 months of the ablation procedure. In about a third of the patients, recovery of LV function was delayed. The ejection fraction eventually normalized or substantially improved in all patients with PVC-induced cardiomyopathy who had a successful ablation procedure. The only independent predictor for delayed recovery was an epicardial origin of the ablated PVC.
Recovery of LV function
In the majority of patients, the
References (6)
- et al.
Radiofrequency ablation of frequent, idiopathic premature ventricular complexes: comparison with a control group without intervention
Heart Rhythm
(2007) - et al.
Impact of QRS duration of frequent premature ventricular complexes on the development of cardiomyopathy
Heart Rhythm
(2012) - et al.
Predictors of recovery of left ventricular dysfunction after ablation of frequent ventricular premature depolarizations
Heart Rhythm
(2012)
Cited by (0)
- 1
Dr Bogun has received a grant from the Leducq Foundation.